Can create complex "PDF Portfolios." Converts standard video formats into embedded Flash that displays in Adobe Reader. New document-compare features. Collaboration features use Adobe's web site for meeting rooms.

Cons

The interface still isn't as clear as it could be. Some OCR functions require complex workarounds and produce middling results.

Bottom Line

Acrobat 9 is a major upgrade with compelling new features for creating media-rich PDF files.

[07/17/08 Editor's note: This article, which was a preview of the beta version, has been updated to a of the shipping product.]

Adobe Acrobat is the mighty juggernaut of PDF software, and Acrobat 9 proves that a juggernaut can get smarter and more flexible even while growing more powerful than ever. Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended ($699 direct)the exact name of the version I testedbrings the biggest and best enhancements that Acrobat has seen in a long time. Acrobat 9 includes three big new features. First is the ability to build PDF Portfolios that combine multiple types of files in a single PDF document, complete with eye-catching navigation tools. Next is the ability to store video files in PDF files that can be viewed by anyone who uses Adobe Reader 9, whether or not they have specific video codecs installed on their system. Finally, there's a document-comparison feature that eases the headaches of collaborative work on complex PDF files. Advanced new collaboration features, plus other miscellaneous improvements add to the appeal of this major release. Best of all, this major update doesn't require learning an entirely new app, as Acrobat 9 largely sticks to the user interface familiar since version 8.

Acrobat 9 comes in four versions: the free Adobe Reader (no Acrobat in the name, just Reader), and three commercial versions, Acrobat 9 Standard, Acrobat 9 Pro, and Acrobat 9 Pro Extended. The Standard version creates PDF files, PDF Portfolios, and fillable PDF forms. The Pro version adds a wide range of collaboration and document-compare features. The Pro Extended version has everything in Pro as well as the ability to embed standard video formats into PDF files, create interactive presentations, and create and manage 3D PDF files.

PDF Portfolios, probably the most impressive new feature in Acrobat, combines multiple documents, including multimedia video and audio files, into a single PDF file. Portfolios are an advance over the simpler combined-format documents created by previous Acrobat versions and by Microsoft Office's almost-forgotten "Binder" feature. Why? Because a PDF Portfolio isn't just a set of documents arranged in a linear sequence, but can include eye-catching navigation tools for finding your way through complex, tree-structured sets of files. One of the navigation tools available while building a PDF Portfolio looks almost identical to the CoverFlow interface in Apple's iTunes and OS X Leopard. Plenty of less obviously Apple-inspired navigation tools are also available, such as an elegant one that simply slides document images left and right as you move through the portfolio contents.

PDF Portfolios' most obvious use is corporate marketing, but they'll also be used to streamline and enrich educational and scientific material and to build richly interactive presentations. One minor potential problem may arise if you embed raw documents like Word files or Excel spreadsheets into a PDF portfolio instead of converting those files into PDF format first. The problem occurs if the computer on which someone reads the portfolio doesn't have the software installed to open those embedded documents. For example, I used a system that didn't have Microsoft Office on it when viewing a Portfolio that contained embedded Word files, and I was bombarded by error messages when Windows WordPad tried to open the Word files and failed. You can avoid this by converting the files into PDF format, so it's not a big problem if you know what you're doing.Next: Acrobat 9: Embedded Videos

Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended

excellent

Bottom Line: Acrobat 9 is a major upgrade with compelling new features for creating media-rich PDF files.

Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended

Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended

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